


Crowned and Anchored, Bonded Forver

by MelodramaticSalad



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Comforting Derek, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cuddly Derek, Cuddly Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski are Childhood Friends, Ficlet, Growing Up Together, Insecurity, Jealous Derek, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Prince Derek, Prince Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-01 21:56:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8639713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodramaticSalad/pseuds/MelodramaticSalad
Summary: A Royal AU fluffy ficlet for LadyDrace!With different kingdoms connecting across the land, there was almost always something going on, whether it be a battle, a treaty, a banquet, or even a marriage. Each time there was a battle, alliances were created and bonds were forged between each side.One alliance that been strengthened with each passing year was the one between the Stilinski and the Hale royal families. The bond between the families had gone on for as long as their countries' history could recall. There was a natural bond between their kingdoms, for those in the Hales' kingdom were born werewolves, while the Stilinskis' tended to have the gift of magic. Thus a bond was created between the two kingdoms.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyDrace](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDrace/gifts).



With different kingdoms connecting across the land, there was almost always something going on, whether it be a battle, a treaty, a banquet, or even a marriage. Each time there was a battle, alliances were created and bonds were forged between each side.

One alliance that been strengthened with each passing year was the one between the Stilinski and the Hale royal families. The bond between the families had gone on for as long as their countries' history could recall. There was a natural bond between their kingdoms, for those in the Hales' kingdom were born werewolves, while the Stilinskis' tended to have the gift of magic.

Thus a bond was created between the two kingdoms. The Hales were trusted to attend and lead Stilinski battle plans, while the Hales trusted them as their advisors. Due to the unbreakable bond between the Queens of each country, the two would often meet and bring their children along to bond. Queen Talia's eldest, Laura, tended to follow her mother and Queen Claudia, since she was being groomed in preparation to be the future queen. Princess Cora was more interested in exploring and training her own skills with battle training.

That usually left the middle child, Prince Derek, alone with the only heir to the Stilinski Throne, Prince Stiles.

They'd first met when Stiles was an infant, after his introductory ceremony. Derek at the age of four didn't understand what the big deal was with a squirming flesh goblin and why they spent days traveling to see it.

Stiles was only eight months old at the time and would stare at each new person with amber eyes wide with surprise whenever they'd speak to him.

"Say 'hello' to Stiles, Derek. He's actually cute for a baby." Laura piped up when it was their turn to see the future king.

Derek raised his eyebrows as he stepped closer to the large bassinet the baby was sitting in. He stood on his toes to get a good look at him and see what all the fuss was about. The baby looked over at him and gurgled, instantly reaching out to Derek. Derek wasn't sure what to do, so he gave Stiles his hand. Stiles looked over Derek's hand, babbled incoherently to it, and then proceeded to shove Derek's fingers into his mouth.

"Oh, that's gross." Derek mumbled but didn't pull his hand away. Stiles smiled widely at him and pulled his hand away, wriggling his chubby limbs in excitement. "You're weird." Derek pointed out, knowing he probably didn't understand. Stiles looked up at Derek and smiled, slapping his hand against Derek's as he giggled in delight.

That first slobbery moment was the one that united them. Derek was there when Stiles learned to walk and helped him with his unsteady steps. He was there when Stiles lost his first tooth, being the one that accidentally hit him in the face with a cabinet door during their search for snacks. Stiles didn't even cry when blood trickled out of his nose, he just gave Derek a smile and that's when Derek had realized he had knocked the poor kid's tooth out as well.

Stiles was there when Derek lost his two front teeth while they were horseback riding and Derek fell off. He'd always remember Stiles' expression going from concern to sheer horror at the sight of blood trickling out of Derek's mouth when he stood and tried to tell Stiles he was okay. Holiday photographs ended up being quite interesting that year.

Each time they would visit each other, Stiles would sneak out of his bedroom at night and go straight to Derek's. He'd open the door and either make sure Derek was still awake or he'd wake him when he'd climb in bed with him. The first few times, Derek would wake up to Stiles in his bed, but after he grew used to it, he always made sure to be awake. 

The two of them spent the quiet time talking about anything on their minds and sharing secrets that only the two of them would hear.

As they got older, Stiles would tell him about his fears of not being a good King someday, that he would let everyone down and be the worst the country had ever seen.

Derek would tell him his concerns about not doing enough and not being able to make his family proud. Disappointing his parents was one of Derek's biggest fears; he respected the both of them so greatly and all he wanted was to make them happy.

Stiles would brush his fingers up and down Derek's arm while he listened, keeping his head on his chest as he'd whisper, "You are enough."

Derek in return would trace his fingers up Stiles' back and press a kiss to his forehead. "So are you." He would whisper back to him.

 

For this trip, the Hales and most of the families of the various kingdoms traveled to see the Stilinskis for a very important reason. It was nearly Stiles' eighteenth birthday, and needless to say, the day was extremely important to the kingdoms.

After his birthday, he could choose a suitor and create a new and strong alliance to unite two countries. Since theirs was already a strong kingdom, many were already vying for the opportunity to woo the young prince. A part of Derek had considered taking the chance and asking Stiles on a date himself, but the idea of potentially ruining the relationship they had had their entire lives held him back.

Once Derek and his family arrived at the kingdom, Derek wandered off in search of Stiles so he could see how he was doing. He finally found Stiles in the gardens, reading a book in the gazebo and sitting quietly.

"Hey." Derek piped up as he walked over to him, catching his attention.

Stiles looked up at him and grinned, his scent shifting to excitement before Derek noticed a faint sadness underlying it. "Hey, Derek." Stiles greeted, setting the book aside and standing. He headed over to Derek and hugged him tightly before stepping back. "I'm glad you made it."

"I've never missed your birthday." Derek pointed out with a raise of his eyebrows before he continued, "What's wrong?"

Stiles' smile faded and he let out a sigh, scratching at the back of his neck. "Everyone is gonna start bugging me about getting married now."

Derek nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it is difficult when it first starts up. It can be obnoxious and there are some that just don't want to give up." He mulled over the idea of Stiles getting married and felt a pang of jealousy. He tried to rationalize that it was because only he had been the one that got to see every side of Stiles. Perhaps it was just him being protective of him.

Stiles let out a soft sigh and scratched at the back of his neck. "I guess that I always knew I would have to have this sense of duty or something when I got married, but I just sort of hoped that when I did, it would be for love." He admitted. Derek could hear the sadness in his voice and see the disappointment in his eyes. Standing in front of him was the vulnerable part of Stiles, the side that only Derek normally got to see. This was the side that Derek wanted to protect with every single instinct in his being. This was a big part of Stiles that Derek could admit he loved.

Behind closed doors, Stiles felt safe enough to show his insecurities to Derek. Derek grew up hearing his fears of not being good enough, his worries of failing his parents when it was his turn to rule. There were times during their late night talks that Stiles would get out of bed and pace around the room; Derek was guilty of doing the same thing himself. He may not have felt the complete magnitude of the pressure of having to someday be King, but he understood. Derek knew what it felt like to have to be perfect, to be the best. As part of the royal family, with thousands of eyes on him at almost all times, perfection was what was expected of him from their people.

That was the very reason why Derek had started training with his sword as a teenager, spending hours each day until his muscles were sore. He'd watch the blisters on his fingers or discolorations on his skin fade away after each training session and would constantly think about what he needed to do better.

"Perhaps you'll get that chance." Derek replied, placing a comforting hand on the back of Stiles' neck. It was an intimate touch the two of them shared, it was a way for Derek to scent mark him as pack, even just a little at a time. The touch always comforted Stiles as well and could always help him relax. "Who knows? Maybe if you have to have an arranged marriage, it could be with someone that you'll grow to love someday. You could even fall for one of your potential suitors. Nothing is set in stone yet, and I'll help you as best as I can."

Stiles searched Derek's eyes for a moment and nodded, reassured by his words. "Thank you." He murmured, sliding his arms around Derek's chest and hugging him close. Derek hugged the younger boy in return and rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe the residual tension away.

"We still have a few days before the rest of my guests arrive, so you'll come to my room tonight, right?" Stiles asked in a soft voice.

"Of course. Any time you ever need me, I'll be there," assured Derek. "You know that." He could smell Stiles' sadness shift to relief and felt Stiles tighten his grip on him. Stiles's scent was sweeter with adoration and Derek wanted to keep making him feel that way.

"Thank you." Stiles whispered again.

 

As promised, once the moon was high in the sky and everyone had gone to their beds, Derek headed down the hallway towards Stiles' chambers. He gave a knock with the back of his knuckles to announce his presence and opened the door. Stiles sat on the couch in the corner of his room, legs folded to balance a book on them. Stiles paused in turning the page and smiled at Derek.

"You can sit if you want, or you can just head right to bed."

"What are you reading?" Derek asked out of curiosity, heading to sit beside Stiles.

"I'm brushing up on each country's history so it can sort of help me as a basis for when I have to start having suitor meetings." Derek looked at the pages as he listened to Stiles speak. He chuckled at the sight of a drawing of a triskele, his family's crest.

"You and I both know that you nearly know my history by heart."

Stiles snorted and smiled wider before speaking. "You know I love your history." He looked up at him before realizing how close their faces were. Stiles glanced between Derek's eyes and his mouth, his heart picking up pace and thumping wildly. Derek easily caught the scent of adoration, nervousness, and...

Derek moved past the final scent and placed a hand on the back of Stiles' neck. Stiles leaned closer towards him but Derek moved up and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. 

Stiles briefly tensed before he visibly relaxed and sighed out. "Sorry, I'm tired." He mumbled, sitting back and shutting the book, resting his hand on the leather cover.

Derek sighed and rested a hand above Stiles'. "It's okay, I just want you be able to choose without any conflict."

Stiles lowered his gaze and nodded. "I know. You just want what's best for me."

"What's on your mind?" Derek asked, feeling as if something was left unspoken.

"What if I don't know what's best for me?"

Derek lifted his hand and cupped it against the back of Stiles' neck so he could coax him to look up at him. Despite the insecurity and confusion in them, the whiskey colored eyes still shined magnificently in the light. Now Derek started to feel confused; he wasn't sure Stiles' feelings towards him had changed.

He knew that Stiles always adored him, but when did adoration become infatuation? Maybe the slow change had always been there, growing stronger with time, and Derek just didn't pay attention to it. Had Derek been too focused on ignoring his own infatuation that he must hadn't noticed that Stiles felt the same? Was it due to a subconscious to preserve their relationship or had he really just not noticed?

Derek rested his forehead against Stiles' and brushed his fingers down his cheek. "I want you to be able to give this a fair chance. If you don't like anyone, I will let you try."

Stiles nodded and leaned back, getting off the couch so he could head towards his bed. "Can we start tomorrow? I want things to be the same for now."

"Of course." Derek answered, walking over to the other side of the bed. He climbed in first as Stiles turned out the lights, letting his vision adjust to the dark room as he watched Stiles' silhouette walk back towards the bed. He felt the mattress dip as Stiles climbed underneath the bedding, opening his arms so Stiles could fill the space between them. Stiles rested on his stomach, his head on Derek's shoulder and his arm lightly pressed against his side.

Derek pressed a kiss to the top of his head and rubbed his back to help him fall asleep. "Good night, Stiles."

"Good night, Der." Stiles whispered in return.

Derek let out a soft hum and closed his eyes as he focused on continuing to trace his back. His mind wandered back to Stiles' potential marriage and the jealousy spiked up again.

 

Stiles' eighteenth birthday party was just as extravagant as one would expect. The evening started with a formal banquet, mostly meant for mingling around with the royalty and other nobles from the different kingdoms. Derek watched Stiles wander around the room, greeting people and making small talk.

When he finally walked over to Derek, Derek noticed that Stiles also had a bottle of alcohol in his hand. "What's that?" Derek asked, raising his eyebrows and smiling.

"That would be a bottle of the nearby vineyard's finest sweet wines, specially made just for me." Stiles smiled wider at him. "What do you say we crack it open once we're done with the after party?"

Derek chuckled and nodded in approval. "I'd like that."

"Sounds perfect." Stiles replied before shifting on his feet. "Can I talk to you for a minute? It's kind of important."

"Yeah, of course. What's wrong?" Derek asked, instantly concerned for him. Did something happen when Derek wasn't paying attention.

"Nothing. I just wanted to run something by you." Stiles replied, motioning for Derek to follow him.

Derek followed Stiles out of the large room and down the hallway so they'd be able to have some privacy. Once they finally stopped, Derek leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “What did you want to talk about?”

 

Stiles tugged at the bottom of his suit jacket, his fingers running over the gray, plaid material. Derek kept quiet, trying to figure out what was causing the nervousness that was coming off of him in waves. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and what I wanted to ask you…” Stiles trailed off and shifted on his feet as he stared down at the floor. “When I become King, I was wondering if you’d like to be my advisor? We know everything about each other and there is no one else that I would rather have as my right hand. I already trust your family’s input on our military, and I know that you will do incredibly as well. I mean, if that is something you would like to do.”

 

Derek raised his eyebrows in surprise, he wasn’t expecting that one bit. “That’s what you’d want?” He asked before smiling and nodding. “I’d love to. You know that I will always take care of you.”

 

Stiles sighed in relief and smiled widely at Derek. “Really? That’s fantastic!” He exclaimed, quickly hugging Derek tightly before he pulled away and laughed. “That means the world to me.”

 

“It’s no problem. We can talk more about it later though, you should probably get back to your party,” replied Derek as he reached out to ruffle Stiles’ hair. “I’m sure everyone is looking for you anyways.”

 

Stiles snorted and gave a playful roll of his eyes. “No offense to all the nobles in there, but I’d much rather just hang out with you any day. We can celebrate when it’s time for the after party though, right?”

 

“Yeah, we’ll open your birthday wine and hang out. Maybe we can stargaze in the gardens like we used to?” Derek suggested with a shrug.

 

Stiles laughed and gave him a thumbs up. “Stargazing and wine? Sounds like a great time to me. It’s a date. See you there.” He grinned before rushing off back to the party.

 

Derek shook his head as he watched Stiles go before he headed back to the banquet as well. Once it had finished, the younger groups changed into less formal clothing and filed into the main ballroom where the real party was set up. The bars were stocked and serving drinks already while dance music thumped loudly around them. Derek got himself a beer and let his eyes adjust to the black lights as he looked around the room. He could see his sisters in one corner, Laura laughing about something with a cocktail in hand while Cora rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face. Derek smiled a little himself and looked around again.

 

He spotted Stiles dancing with some young Duke and raised his eyebrows. The guy had his hands on Stiles’ hips and was dancing pretty close with him. Derek watched the way Stiles moved his hips to the beat and seemed to be enjoying himself. Derek felt jealousy bubble up in his chest and he forced himself to look away. He knew it was his idea in the first place to have Stiles give everyone a chance, but that didn’t make seeing it in action any easier.

 

Despite his feelings for Stiles, if Stiles was able to find someone that made him truly happy, Derek couldn’t ask for much more than that. Derek sighed and ran his thumb over the rim of the bottle before putting it back to his lips.

 

As promised, when Stiles had tired of the party, he looked around the crowd until he finally found Derek again. “Hey, can you meet me outside in like ten minutes?” He asked, and this time, he did look upset.

 

Derek frowned and nodded, getting a better look at him. “Yeah, I’ll be out there soon. Do you need to talk?”

 

Stiles shrugged and scratched at the back of his neck. “Yeah, but after we get out there. Maybe. We’ll see how it goes.”

 

Derek nodded but didn’t push the subject any further. When Stiles was ready, he’d talk about it on his own. Stiles shifted on his feet before heading off, leaving Derek alone again.

 

Derek waited long enough to give Stiles the time he needed before he left the ballroom to head out to the garden. When he finally reached the glass-topped gazebo outside, Derek chuckled at the sight of some blankets and pillows set up on the floor. Stiles was currently lighting the candles he had placed on the benches, using his magic to make a small flame appear above his hand. Derek watched as Stiles focused on the task until he finally extinguished the flame and turned towards Derek with a smile on his face. “Hey.”

 

“Hey.” Derek replied, heading over to their old secret hangout spot. He spotted the bottle of wine from earlier along with some he had obviously taken from the ballroom’s bar resting on the blankets. Derek chuckled and took a seat against the pillows before he grabbed one of the beers while Stiles sat down. Stiles opened up the wine and took a sip of it before nodding in approval at the fruity taste of the specialized moscato. He offered it to Derek, looking up towards the sky as Derek took a sip.

 

“It feels awesome to do this again.” Stiles noted.

 

“Yeah.” Derek murmured, glancing down when Stiles curled up against him.

 

When Derek didn’t move his arm around stiles, Stiles looked up to him with a small frown on his face. “What’s up?”

 

Derek shrugged and took a swig of his beer. “Nothing. How did you enjoy the party?”

 

“It was pretty good, why?” Stiles asked, moving to sit up so he could look clearly at him.

 

Derek avoided his gaze and shrugged again. “What did you want to talk about?” He asked to deflect the question again.

 

Stiles sighed when he realized that Derek wasn’t going to talk about it. “It’s about what we talked about last night. I don’t think I want to keep trying with other people, it doesn’t feel the same.”

 

“It sure looked like you were having fun and hitting it off with people.” Derek couldn’t stop from pointing out. He didn’t mean the bitter tone that came out.

 

Stiles raised his eyebrows before he let out a light laugh. “Oh my god, you’re jealous.”

 

Derek pursed his lips together but didn’t deny it. Stiles set the bottle of wine aside and focused on Derek again.

 

“I was just trying what you said. I tried to keep an open mind and put some interest in other people. And guess what? It didn’t work.”

 

Derek frowned and finally looked back over at him. “It didn’t?”

 

“No, and you know why? Because the whole time I was dancing with other people, I wanted it to be you. I wanted you to have your hands on my hips, wanted you to be the one to pull me close. I know we’ve always kind of been like we’re brothers, but at the same time...I don’t know. I’ve always...I’ve always just wanted to be with you. I just never knew how to bring it up because I never thought you could possibly ever want me that way.” Stiles admitted, lowering his gaze and scratching at his hair.

 

Derek placed his hand on the back of Stiles’ neck and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead to comfort him. “It’s okay, Stiles. I love you, idiot. You’re so clever, I’m surprised you never figured that out.”

 

Stiles raised an eyebrow at Derek. “You have heightened werewolf senses and you never figured it out either. You can literally smell my emotions.”

 

Derek shrugged a little. “I was busy trying to figure out how to deal with the fact that instead of wanting to hug you, I wanted to just kiss you.”

 

Stiles grinned and leaned closer to Derek. “You wanted to kiss me?”

 

“And judging by how you tried to kiss me when we were in your room, I think you wanted to kiss me too.” Derek pointed out with a smile of his own.

 

That earned a laugh from Stiles as he slid his arms around Derek’s neck. “Maybe you should kiss me then, Genius.”

 

Derek leaned forwards and closed the space between them. The first brush of their lips together was tentative and tender. Once Derek felt Stiles press back into the kiss, he rubbed Stiles’ back as Stiles eased between his legs so he could press closer to him. Derek reached his left hand out for Stiles' waist, eyes slipping closed as he leaned into the kiss. Stiles' lips were soft and his cute little cupid's bow fit against Derek’s own lips so comfortably. Stiles left out a soft hum in content, sliding his arms up around his neck as he brushed his fingers over the hair at the base of Derek’s neck.

 

Derek felt gentle tingling on his lips as he continued to kiss him, brushing his tongue out to trace Stiles’ bottom lip. This was the one thing that Derek had wanted for years. Now that he finally could have it, it felt better than he could ever have imagined.

 

Stiles soon pulled away from the kiss and began to press gentle kisses along Derek’s jaw. “How was that?” He asked before leaning back.

Derek smiled wider and cupped Stiles’ face. “Perfect.” He whispered before kissing him again.

 

 

After that evening, the two of them would visit each's kingdom other more often, going on dates and spending their nights together. They’d continue talking about what they wanted for the future and what they each wanted to achieve.

 

Six months after their initial confession, Derek led Stiles back to that same gazebo that they had always loved to stargaze at and proposed to him. There were many things that Derek had been unsure of in his life, when it came to his role in the kingdom, but with Stiles he always felt like Stiles was accepted, no matter what. He always felt like Stiles would welcome him with open arms and that they always worked best together. As long as they had each other, they could do anything.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all liked it! Life has been so crazy that I finally had time to sit down and work through it so I could post it for LadyDrace!
> 
> Accompanying aesthetic [here!](http://melodramaticsalad.tumblr.com/post/153592882208)


End file.
